Balanced blade for golf clubs



May 29,v 1928. 1,671,956

w. B. SIME BALANCED BLADE FOR GOLF CLUBS Filed March 29, 1926 PatentedMay 29, 1928.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. SIIE, OI DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGH'OR TO THE CRAWFORD, IOGBEGOBAND CANDY COMPANY, OF DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION 01' OHIO.

BALANCED BLADE FOB GOIJ CLUBS.

Application filed larch 29, 1928. Serial No. 98,233.

My invention relates to golf clubs and more particularly to drivingirons or distance irons and the like.

The invention pertains to the design and proportion of the blade of suchgolf club, whereb the mass of material is so distributed t .at it willreact at the moment of impact with the ball when properly played as toafiord a long distance flight of the ball of rather low trajectory. Thisis effected by decreasing the thickness of the blade in the middle andincreasing the thickness gradually toward the ends of the blade, so thatthe preponderance of material is located on opposite sides of thecentral line of the blade or point of impact. The preferred form of theblade is that of or striking face and a concave rear face, although aslight concavity to the forward striking face by which the thickness ofthe blade 1s decreased in the middle and increased at the. ends may befound advantageous to some players. It has been found by experience andexperiment in the use of c ubs of the present design, that this unequaldistribution of mass or weight in the blade of the club head affords apeculiar characteristic which is essential to long distance flights ofthe ball. While the club head as constructed is rigid and unyielding,

there is nevertheless because of its particular shape a peculiarvibratory reaction at the moment of impact, which is thought to be asthough the weighted ends of the club tend to advance beyond the middleor bend aroundthe ball at the moment of impact, and that the blade theninstantly straightens by advancing the middle portion into the plane ofthe advance weighted ends, thus giving to the ball that peculiarsustained impulse, so essential to long flights. This explanation isoffered merely as a theory, and is not intended as a limitation, forindeed no such flexibility of the blade is at all perceptible, to theeye, and is more or less assumed from the feel of the club and thecharacteristic result of the.

club in l The Oh ay a flat forward distance and provide a well balancedclub of improved action.

With the above primary and other incidental objects in view as will morefully appear in the specification, the invention consists of thefeatures of construction, the shape, proportions, distribution andarrangement of material, or their equivalents, as hereinafter describedand set forth in the claims. 7

Referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown the referred,but obviously, not necessarily t e onl form of embodiment of theinvention, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a driving iron embodying theimprovement forming the subject matter hereof, viewed from the rear.Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the head of the club, and Fig. 3 an endelevation thereof. Fig. 4 is a greatly exaggerated diagrammatic view ofthe reaction of the club head at the moment of impact with the ball.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughoutthe several views.

While the present invention has been illustrated as applying to drivingor distance irons, it will be understood that it is not limited to thisparticular club alone, but is equally applicable to a mashie, c1eek,jigger, niblick or other club of like character. The term driving ordistance iron as herein employed, is therefore, to be considered asincluding golf clubs of various forms and modifications.

In the drawings, there is illustrated a driving iron of conventionaldesign and proportion, in which 1 is the blade or head, and 2 the hosel,in which is connected the shaft or handle 3.

Whereas the usual club head or blade of this type is provided with asubstantially flat rear face, the blade being of substantially uniformthickness on horizontal sections from the heel to the toe, althoughsometimes converging upwardly or vertically, the present head differstherefrom by being formed concave upon its rear face, while the forwardor strlking face is preferably though not necessarily substantiallyflat. In the present construction, the golf club head or blade is madeof least thick nessat its medial portion, the thickness of the bladegradually increasing toward both the toe 4 and the heel 5 of the bladeor head. The usual construction is to make the toe portion 4 of somewhatgreater thickness than the heel portion 5, although this relation may bereversed to accommodate the club to the peculiarities of a particularplayer. While this tapered or gradual enlargement of the club headfromits middle toward its opposite ends, may extend throughout the fullheight of the head or blade, it is preferred to confine such onlargementto an-area somewhat less than the width or height of the blade, therebyforming at the top and bottom of the rear face of the blade, offsets orrabbets 6 and 7. The mass of material of the blade is thus 'unequallydistributed and is formed into oppositely disposed convergent masses,pro ecting from the rear face of the club on opposite sides of themedial line or point of imact. The weight of the club may be varied yvarying the width of the rabbets 6 and 7 thus increasing or decreasingthe height of the rearwardly projecting tapered masses of materialcontiguous to the opposite ends of the head or blade.

By thus distributing the preponderance of weight of the club head,increasing the thickness of the toe and heel of the club and forming theintermediate portion of less thickness than such heel and toe.remarkable distance and accuracy in the'fiight of the driven ball hasbeen achieved. This is attributed, whether correctly or incorrectly, tothe resultant vibratory action at the moment of impact due to thepeculiar shape and distribution of material and weight as beforedescribed.

It being understood that. the principle or theory of operation isunnecessary, and that explanation of the principle need noteven beunderstood, by the inventor, so long as the structural features of theclub are sufficiently described to enable others to successfullyconstruct the club, the theory of vibratory reaction has beenillustrated in Fig. 4 on a grossly exaggerated scale. In Fig. 4, thenormal portion of the blade is diagrammatically shown at the moment ofimpact by solid lines. The thin middle portion is retarded by itscontact with the ball and the weighted ends advance to the dotted linepositions. The tendency of the blade to reassume its normal shape causesthe middle portion to spring forward into line with the weighted ends asshown by dot and dash lines. This imparts additional impetus to the ballby which greater distance flight is achieved.

From the above description it will be apparent that there. is thusprovided a device of the character described, possessing the particularfeatures of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but which obvious-1y is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detailconstruction and arrangement of parts without departing from theprinciple Involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

While in order to comply with the statute the invention has beendescribed in language more or less specific as to structural fea tures,it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specificdetails shown, but that the means herein disclosed comprise thepreferred form of several modes of putting the invention into effect,and the invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms ormodifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appendedclaims. I

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a golf club, a driving iron or the like, including an integralsolid metallic blade, having a substantially fiat striking :iace and ahorizontally arcuate concave rear ace.

2. In a golf club, a driving iron or the like, including a blade andintegral tapered weight portions located on the rear face of the bladein spaced relation on opposite sides of the center of impact andtapering toward such center and also spaced from the top and solemargins of the blade. Y

3. In a olf club, a driving iron or the like, inclu ing a blade, and arib on the rear face of the club s aced .away from the top and solemargins, t e rib being medially indented.

4. In a golf club, a driving iron or the like, including a blade and twooppositely disposed convergent masses of material projecting from therear face of the blade in substantially mid height positions.

.5. In a golf club, a driving iron or the like, including a blade, thematerial of which is unevenly distributed, the blade being thinnestsubstantially upon a vertical medial line, the mass of material being ofgraduallyincreasing thickness from the middle toward the ends with thepreponderance of material located on opposite sides of the pointof-imact. Y P 6. In a golf club, a driving iron or the like, including ablade, of substantially uniformly graduated varying thickness beingthickest at its toe, thinnest at its middle the heel being of greaterthickness than the middle of the blade, but of less thickness than thetoe thereof. I

7. In a golf club, a driving iron or the like, including a blade, thetoe portion of which is thicker than the heel portion and both toe andheel portions thicker than the middle portion the intermediate portionbeing substantially uniformly reversely t-apered. 8. Ahead for a golfdriving iron, or the like, including an inte ral solid metallic blade,the rear face of w ich is reversely tapered inwardl toward the verticalmedial line thereof, the outer ends of the tapered surfaces terminatingabruptly substantially coincident with the opposite ends of the blade.

9. A head for a golf driving iron, or the like, including an integralsolid metal blade having on opposite sides of its medial line two uneual rearwardly projecting masses of materlal gradually merging onetoward the other into the body of the blade.

10. A head for a golf driving iron, or the hke, including an integralsolid metallic blade of plano concave form, the driving face of whichis'substantiall flat while the rear face thereof is indente upon atransversely disposed segmental curve extending substantially from thetoe to the heel of the blade and approaching the flat driving face upona medial vertical line.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 10 day of MarchA. D. 1926.

WILLIAM B. SIME.

